Catching The First Bark

Don't command — provoke. Hold a treat in plain sight, build the excitement, and wait. The instant the bark escapes, mark it and pay. Still silent? Raise the energy: bounce the toy, move fast, have a helper knock.

Add the word once the bark is reliable. Say "speak" a beat before your trigger, then slowly drop the trigger until the word alone does the job. Keep it tiny — three to five barks a session, max. Drill it longer and you train a dog that yells at you for treats all afternoon.